Two years later, Celeste’s first manager got her into west London’s Sarm Studios, where she was spotted and courted for a potential label deal. Midway through the conversation, she was offered the chance to be a featured vocalist on another band’s record; when she turned it down, feeling like it wasn’t the right path to launch on, the deal swiftly came off the table. “I took the risk of saying no to something I didn’t want to do, and then when it took years to get back into the same position, I realised I needed to think a bit more about how to do this, because I’m not someone who can fund seven years of making my magnum opus. I need to get the support financially,” she says.
